Advertising/Public Relations

This major is designed to provide a balance of theory, research, and practice. The course sequence provides professional skills courses in conjunction with applied theory and critical evaluative courses. Students develop an understanding of the role and effect of advertising and public relations within the business, social, and political arenas. Students develop abilities and skills that prepare them for a wide range of professional opportunities that include: media planning and relations, research, client services. Analytical abilities are equally stressed throughout the curriculum. Critical thinking skills, creative problem-solving, and the need to justify decisions are developed. Theory and practice from a wide range of disciplines including business, behavioral sciences, and applied statistics are used to equip the students to make informed decisions in a dynamic environment.

ADVERTISING OPTION: All courses in the advertising major emphasize the critical importance of integrated communication. The objective of the curriculum is to prepare students for entry-level opportunities in the advertising profession and to prepare for eventual managerial roles where an understanding of integrated communication concepts is essential.

The program reflects an integrated marketing communications approach to the design implementation and evaluation of advertising messages. In addition to mastering the core professional courses, students are expected to have an understanding of the convergence of mass communication theory and practice and are encouraged to select from courses in communication theory, communication law, mass media history, ethics, and the impact of advertising and public relations on society.

PUBLIC RELATIONS OPTION: The public relations curriculum prepares students for the challenges of public relations practice in a highly competitive, technological, multicultural, and global environment. In their course of study, students study the role and function of public relations in building cooperative mutually beneficial relations between organizations and their constituent publics through understanding, credibility, and trust.

Students complete a core set of courses that includes news writing, introduction to public relations, public relations methods, mass communication research, and public relations problems (campaigns).

Because of the critical importance of journalistic writing skills and an understanding of news media ethics, public relations majors are encouraged to take additional journalism courses to fulfill their communication electives.

Advertising and public relations students are encouraged to choose a minor from outside the College of Communications. The majority of majors select minors in business, English, sociology, psychology, political science, information systems and statistical analysis, foreign language, and speech communication.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS OPTION: This online program is designed to be only available to World Campus students.

Strategic communications refer to a group of techniques used to design, implement, and evaluate the impact of messages on selected groups of people. The goal is to find solutions to complex advertising and public relations problems in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors at both the domestic and international level.

The Strategic Communications online option explores the theories, methods, and tools used to structure persuasive messages. The option includes an overview of strategic communications principles and concepts that sets the stage for more advanced studies. Students learn about research and analytic techniques used to design and implement effective communication campaigns that are delivered via traditional and new media options. The use of digital technology and social media is emphasized. The program examines the dynamics of the political, legal, social, cultural environments that interact to define a communication task or problem. Students also learn techniques to benchmark and evaluate the effectiveness of strategic communications programs and understand how they apply to internal and external constituencies. Students studying strategic communications will refine their critical thinking skills and explore the nature and source of the information message content, medium of delivery, and the evaluation of the impact of the message on targeted groups.

An important aspect of the program is the examination of the ethical implications of strategic communication practices used in the marketing, advertising and public relations arena. Students will develop a framework that will help them to understand and evaluate supporters and critics of strategic communications practices.

Students must select at least 80 credits in courses outside the College of Communications, including at least 65 in the liberal arts and sciences.

For the B.A. degree in Advertising/Public Relations, a minimum of 120 credits is required.

Scheduling Recommendation by Semester Standing given like (Sem: 1-2)

GENERAL EDUCATION: 45 credits (10 of these 45 credits are included in the REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR) (See description of General Education in this bulletin.)

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR: (Included in ELECTIVES or GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)

UNITED STATES CULTURES AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURES: (Included in ELECTIVES or GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM: (Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)

ELECTIVES: 26 credits

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: 24 credits (3 of these 24 credits are included in the REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR, GENERAL EDUCATION, or ELECTIVES and 0-12 credits are included in ELECTIVES if foreign language proficiency is demonstrated by examination.) (See description of Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements in this bulletin.)

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